Member Interview with Alex O'Rourke

We are delighted to bring you a Member Interview with Alex O'Rourke, Founder, LockSmith

What’s your golden rule?

Be kind. It costs nothing, and it gets you everything. In life and in marketing, how you treat people matters more than any strategy.

Who has been your biggest influence?

Dame Dianne Thompson, who was CEO of Camelot when I worked there.

She was formidable and fearless, but also down to earth, kind and funny. That combination is rare. She showed me you don’t have to lose your humanity to be a strong leader, and I’ve modelled a lot of my own leadership on that.

What is your most hated business expression?

“Let’s circle back” is up there.

But more broadly, I can’t stand marketing jargon used as a smokescreen. Words like “insight” get thrown around far too loosely. If you need a load of buzzwords to explain it, you probably don’t understand it well enough.

What’s the smartest business idea you’ve ever had?

Setting up Locksmith.

It came from a simple belief: brands only grow if the people working on them are capable and confident enough to make the right decisions. So instead of focusing purely on outputs, I built a business around unlocking the potential of the people behind the brands. That’s where the real impact is.

What leader do you admire most and why?

Jacinda Ardern.

She’s brave, stands up for what she believes in, and doesn’t shy away from making difficult or unpopular decisions. But what really stands out is how she leads, with authenticity, humility, and empathy.

She’s also a powerful example that you can lead at the highest level while being a present and brilliant mum. Helping women be their best is something I care deeply about, and she embodies what that can look like.

What is on your mind the most right now as a marketing leader?

Seeing marketing teams stretched to the limit.

Across a lot of the businesses I work with, people are being asked to do more with less, under huge pressure, and without the support or capability they need to succeed. It’s not sustainable, and it’s not how you drive growth.

For me, capability is the unlock. When people feel confident in what they’re doing, everything improves, performance, morale, and results.

Why is being part of The Marketing Society important for your career?

Because none of us do this in isolation.

It’s about being around the right people, learning, sharing, challenging each other, and building each other up. I get a lot of energy from that kind of environment, and I think the industry is better when we’re more connected.

Why does marketing matter to you?

Because it’s given me a career I’ve genuinely loved.

But more than that, marketing has real influence, we’re shaping behaviour every day. That comes with responsibility. We should be using that influence in a way that creates better outcomes, not just more noise.

Tell us something that’s not on your CV

I’m an avid gardener. I grow my own cut flowers from seed and fill the house with them every weekend. It’s probably the opposite of marketing, slow, patient, and very grounding, which is exactly why I love it.